LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Make Mine a Million $ Business program launched an ambitious 2008
with a red carpet event at The Globe Theatre in Universal Studios
Hollywood on January 23. More than 1,200 women from across the country
applied to compete in Los Angeles of whom 20 were chosen as finalists.
After delivering electrifying “elevator pitches”
to a panel of judges and a packed audience, 10 received awards based on
their poise, business acumen, and growth potential.

Miracle Wanzo, president of Hipundies.com, wowed the audience by
convincing them that there isn’t anything in
the world that a woman wears that makes her feel as good as fabulous
lingerie. Lee Gilbert, founder and CEO of CycleAware, Inc., talked about
how her patented products make bike riding safe and fun for the whole
family. Lynette Jee, owner of Pacific Place, Inc. proved to have the
prefect blend of business savvy as Hawaii’s
best purveyor of fine teas. A full list of awardees is included below.

“The Make Mine a Million $ Business program
inspires women to believe in themselves and realize their dreams,”
said Nell Merlino, founder and president of Count Me In. “The
entrepreneurs in our community are the can-do game changers who don’t
take no for an answer and are determined to build companies that drive
innovation, build their communities, and support their families.”

The 10 Los Angeles awardees join a prestigious group of Make Mine a
Million $ Business winners, now totaling 112. Launched in 2005 by Count
Me In, the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources and
business education for women entrepreneurs, and founding partner OPEN
from American Express®, Make Mine a Million $
Business is the leading national program to raise awareness of the
growth challenges facing post-start-up, women-owned businesses, and
provides entrepreneurs across the country with growth tools that make a
direct impact in helping them build thriving businesses.

The movement is inspiring one million women entrepreneurs by the year
2010 to declare their intent to reach revenues of $1 million. Each Make
Mine a Million $ Business awards package provides a combination of
money, mentoring, marketing and technology tools that women
entrepreneurs need to help grow their businesses.

“The Make Mine a Million $ Business community
added a new crop of diverse businesses in Los Angeles, everything from a
stylish lingerie retailer to a design firm with celebrity clientele,”
said Michelle Thompson-Dolberry, Director of Advocacy Marketing, OPEN
from American Express. “The commonalities
between all of our awardees – from the first
class in 2005 until today – are the love of
their craft, their ability to lead, and their willingness to take
calculated risks.”

The Hollywood event was headlined by keynote presentations from Nely Galán,
Latina media mogul and celebrity contestant in the hit NBC series “The
Celebrity Apprentice” and Stephanie Schaffer,
winner of “The Apprentice”
in 2007. Galán, former President of
Entertainment at Telemundo and creator of the hit reality series “The
Swan,” competed to win $250,000 for the Make
Mine a Million $ Business program as one of the contestants on the
television series “The Celebrity Apprentice.”

The program launched an educational platform at the event to provide the
50,000-strong Make Mine a Million $ Business community with advice on
business issues like cash flow, credit and managing money.

Corporate sponsors that are spearheading the movement include OPEN from
American Express, AIG, FedEx, Cisco, Dell, Marriott and Jet Blue.

Los Angeles Awardees

The following 10 women were selected as new members of the Make Mine a
Million $ Business program based on their ability to build significant
and sustainable companies with the growth potential to achieve $1
million or more in annual revenues.

Jennifer Bonora, of Hauppauge, NY-based Family First Home
Companions (www.familyfirsthomecompanions.com),
provider of non-medical in-home support services to the elderly and
disabled adult populations

Awardees receive:

Inspiration, coaching and mentoring from Count Me InTM

Up to $50,000 in financing from OPEN from American Express®,
financial consultation and promotion in marketing and media campaigns

Cisco Smart Business Communications network from Cisco Systems®
valued at up to $20,000 for one awardee

Discounts from FedEx®
select shipping and office and print services

A $500 gift certificate for hotel stays at any Marriott®
in the U.S

Dell Vostro NotebookTM, built exclusively for
small business valued up to $1000, from Dell®

A round-trip flight certificate to any of 54 domestic cities from Jet
Blue

The next Make Mine a Million $ Business event will be held in Phoenix,
Arizona on March 4, 2008. Applications for the Arizona program
close on February 15, 2008. To apply for the event or join the
Make Mine a Million $ Business community, please visit www.makemineamillion.org.

About Count Me In

Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence is the leading national
not-for-profit provider of on-line business loans and resources for
women to grow their micro businesses into $million enterprises. Find us
at www.countmein.org or call
212-245-1245.

About OPEN from American Express

OPEN from American Express is dedicated exclusively to the success of
small business owners and their companies. OPEN supports business owners
with exceptional service. With tailored products and services, the team
delivers purchasing power, flexibility, control and rewards to help
customers run their business. Specifically, business owner customers can
leverage an enhanced set of products, tools, services and savings,
including charge and credit cards, convenient access to working capital,
robust online account management capabilities and savings on business
services from an expanded lineup of partners. To obtain more information
about OPENSM, visit OPEN.com, or call
1-800-NOW-OPEN to apply for a card or loan. Terms and conditions apply.

American Express Company (www.americanexpress.com)
is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.